Xiaomi Mi 7 is expected to come with 6GB of RAM and be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 SoC, which is also seen on the recently launched Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S.

Xiaomi was previously reported to have pushed back the launch of Mi 7 due to the addition of this technology

Xiaomi is gearing up to launch the successor to last year’s flagship Mi 6 – the Mi 7. While there has been an official nod from the company to launch the device sometime later this year, it has not shared much about the specifications and features of Mi 7. However, there have been multiple reports suggesting the internals of the Mi 7 including a notch on the top of the display, wireless charging support, and the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 SoC. A new report now claims that Mi 7 will further take on the Apple iPhone X by incorporating a face unlock technology similar to Face ID.

According to a Chinese leaker who posted an image on Weibo, Xiaomi is working on a biometric module that will harness the same technology as used by the iPhone X’s TrueDepth camera. The TrueDepth camera on the front of the iPhone X features a flood illuminator, IR sensor, and a dot projector to detect the depth of the face to offer a security layer on the device for locking it, making online payments, and more. The module that is in the works right now is said to have an infrared sensor and a dot projector, alongside the front camera, earpiece, ambient light sensor, and proximity sensor. This array of sensors along with the camera will be housed in the notch.

While however ambitious this technology may sound for the future of the Android phones, it comes with its own share of setbacks. Xiaomi was previously reported to have pushed back the launch of Mi 7 due to the addition of this technology, which does not have a proprietary name yet. The reason behind the delay is the complication of the face recognition with the related software from Qualcomm that will be powering the device. The results of the initial tests were dismal because Qualcomm’s software had an incongruous adjustment with the facial recognition process.

Other OEMs such as Samsung and Huawei have been successful in bringing the better facial recognition technology on their respective phones because of the chipset makers that preloaded their processors to comply tunefully with the 3D mapping technique. Xiaomi, on the other hand, is natively developing the tech that is creating complications with the processor’s regular working to detect faces in 3D.

For the specifications, the Xiaomi Mi 7 is expected to come with 6GB of RAM and be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 SoC, which is also seen on the recently launched Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S. It is also said to come with an under-display fingerprint sensor. Furthermore, it has been separately reported the Xiaomi may ditch the Mi 7 name at all and rather go with Mi 8 to commemorate the company’s eighth anniversary this year.